Trumpet Voluntary

Like musical comfort food, Louis Armstrong in Chicago, 1962 (Storyville 101 837; 66:20) offers up a familiar repertoire with a generous helping of shtick on the side. But no matter how many times you've heard Louis Armstrong's routine, it's still satisfying...

Louis Armstrong's spirit hovers over The Power and the Glory: A Salute to Louis Armstrong (Storyville 101 4250; 64:02) by the Danish Radio Jazz Orchestra, conducted by Jim McNeely. This 2001 concert program consisted mostly of songs from Armstrong's early...

Trumpeter/vocalist Byron Stripling would have been the perfect choice for a Louis Armstrong celebration, as he can conjure up the spirit of Satchmo as well as anyone, while still maintaining his own identity. His latest is Byron, Get One Free (Nagel-Heyer...

What can you say about a two-CD set that has only 43 minutes of music? Before you call consumer protection, listen to the first four selections of Dizzy in South America Vol. 3 (CAP 935; 75:33, 72:33). This 1956 Dizzy Gillespie big band was recorded during...

Thirty-three years later Dizzy Gillespie led his United Nations Orchestra in a concert that proved he still had the ability to bring out the best in his musicians. The CD Dizzy Gillespie Live at the Royal Festival Hall, London (Eagle WK 55890; 74:42) features...

Don Lewis' CD The Colour of Time (L-Town 223; 56:36) is a curiously strange document, and not just because he's an American who spells color with a "u." He's got an attractive trumpet sound and approach that suggests 1960s hard bop, and he comes off well...

If hard bop and beyond is your thing, keep an eye out for Woody Shaw: Live Volume Two (High Note 7089; 58:46). The first half of this 1977 date features Woody Shaw's quintet with trombonist Steve Turre, pianist Larry Willis, bassist Stafford James and drummer...

Bobby Shew is a veteran of various big bands and small groups, but these days he's also known to several generations of jazz students as an active clinician and educator. He's the featured trumpet soloist on Bobby Shew: The Music of John Harmon (Sea Breeze...

Having a recognizable sound is one of the most important attributes in jazz, and Clark Terry is instantly recognizable for his prodigious technique, wit, sensitivity and swing. Clark Terry and His Orchestra Featuring Paul Gonsalves (Storyville 8322; 61:47...

Polish trumpeter-composer Tomasz Stanko often works more with tonal colors and textures than strict theme and variation. He takes a painterly approach to sound and his Soul of Things (ECM 1788; 74:55) is evocative, darkly shaded and impressionistic. This...